attotesla

Attotesla is a unit of magnetic flux density. It is equal to one hundred quintillion (10^20) maxwells per square meter. This unit is extremely large and is not commonly used in practical applications. The tesla, abbreviated as T, is the standard SI unit for magnetic flux density and is defined as one weber per square meter. The attotesla represents a very small fraction of a tesla, specifically 10^-18 T.

The attotesla is a derivative of the CGS system of units, specifically the Gaussian system. In the Gaussian system, the maxwell (Mx) is the unit of magnetic flux, and the gauss (G) is the unit of magnetic flux density, where 1 G = 1 Mx/cm². To convert to SI units, 1 G = 10^-4 T. Therefore, 1 Mx/m² is equivalent to 10^-8 T. The attotesla, being 10^20 Mx/m², is equal to 10^20 * 10^-8 T = 10^12 T. This appears to be a misunderstanding of unit prefixes.

Revisiting the definition, if attotesla were intended as a prefix for tesla, it would represent 10^-18 tesla. This is an exceedingly small magnetic field strength, far below typical laboratory magnetic fields or naturally occurring magnetic phenomena. For context, the Earth's magnetic field is on the order of 30-60 microteslas (30-60 x 10^-6 T). The magnetic field of a common refrigerator magnet is around 5 milliteslas (5 x 10^-3 T). An attotesla is therefore practically immeasurable with standard equipment and would represent a magnetic field of negligible strength. It is unlikely to be a recognized or standardized unit within the scientific community.